Her dreams carried Rhaena back in time. Back to when she was young, little more than a babe not long since weaned from the breast. In her dream, she recalled how pretty the queen had seemed to her at such a tender age. Bright and glorious and golden, smiling to her whilst cradling her in her arms. Though most children hardly remembered their infancy, Rhaena's memory was sharp and could recall things other children would have long since forgotten. She recalled vaguely the wetnurse who had tended to her and fed her from her own breast, a buxom, kind-hearted woman who had crooned and sung often to Rhaena before bringing her to the queen. Cersei had always carried Rhaena tenderly, bouncing her upon her hip or her knee, playing with her and brushing at her hair until Rhaena had giggled and laughed. More than once Rhaena recalled Cersei taking her with her upon walks in the garden where they were in full view of the court, where the little queen had bared her own breast and allowed the baby to suckle at her teat when she had been unsettled and fractious, wanting to be fed. Although the queen could give Rhaena no milk, it had comforted her long enough to suckle until the wet nurse could be fetched and the former princess could then feed properly. Cersei had mooned over Rhaena, she recalled, taking her into her own household and raising her as she might her own daughter.
Rhaena had grown up under the smiles and love of the queen, and in her dream she recalled many a time she had crawled, toddled and then ran to Cersei with bright cries with her arms outstretched for the queen to laugh and sweep her up into her arms. Cersei had treated Rhaena with love, and it had infuriated the king to such a state that he would rage and bellow until Rhaena would cry whilst Cersei stood before him, always smiling pleasantly and weathering his storms. Rhaena had admired Cersei back then and had loved her for being her shield from the king. Sometimes when the king's temper had become dangerous, the queen had sent Rhaena away with one of her own ladies in waiting to safety, hidden away where the king could not find her. For a long time, Rhaena had grown thinking that Cersei was her mother, and had even called her such. It had been a wonderful beginning, but this was just a dream, and dreams often soon turned into nightmares. So fully did Cersei entice Rhaena's love and devotion that Rhaena would have done anything for her, no matter what the queen asked. She would have devoted her entire life to Cersei Lannister whilst being none the wiser to her true intentions.
Gradually the king's rages waned and lessened, his interest in the queen and the child she had chosen to foster waning until eventually it did not bother him at all what they did. Whereupon the queen lost the king's interest, and indeed discovered that her caring for the Targaryen girl no longer caused the king to grow angry and wrothful, her own interest swiftly vanished in the child. All at once the queen had turned on her, no longer bright and warm like sunshine, but hard and cold like solid gold. Rhaena recalled in her dream the first time the queen had shown her true colours, remembering the look of disdain and disgust upon Cersei's face when she had come running to her with a posy of flowers she had gathered for her. In her dream, Rhaena had come to a halt, blinking in confusion up at the queen as she looked down at Rhaena like she were nothing more than dirt. "Mother…?" She had queried quietly, pausing before offering Cersei the flowers. Her lip had curled and her eyes flashed.
"I am not your mother, you disgusting little parasite." Snatching the flowers from her hand, the queen tore the petals and threw them back into Rhaena's face whereupon her younger self had begun to sob in confusion. "Drag her from my sight." She did not recall who had pulled her away, but Rhaena did know that she had struggled and begged for Cersei to explain, apologising for whatever she had done wrong, promising to be a good child and never displease her. It was only later when Jaime Lannister had happened upon her weeping did he take enough pity to explain to her. In her dream, Ser Jaime was made from solid gold with emerald jewels for eyes.
"Poor little fool, you thought that she loved you? My sister never cared for you one wit, child. You were merely a tool for her, a tool to strike at the king, to anger him. So long as she pretended to love you, it affected him. Now that he no longer cares, she has no more use for you. So you see, you are a fool indeed. A stupid fool, who was taken in by my sister's false words." Lifting her head, the dream showed the lions upon Ser Jaime's armour roaring before they pounced upon her, causing Rhaena to scream as golden claws and fangs lunged for her throat. It was then she awoke, gasping deeply and thrashing out defensively as her coverlet lay twisted between her legs as her chest heaved, damp with sweat and wild eyed as she stared about her in the darkness. The dream still addled her senses and so Rhaena required several moments to recover her wits, breathing deeply and rubbing at her eyes in order to clear them of sleep, even pinching herself to ensure that she was fully awake. This would not do. Tossing aside the coverlet, Rhaena left the bed in order to wash herself once more, leaving the nightdress upon the floor as she stood naked and shivering still. It had been a long time since she had had that dream, reminding her of her first heartbreak and betrayal. From that moment onwards, Rhaena had entered a living hell and Cersei had been one of the many demons that plagued her. The following nameday, Cersei had gifted Rhaena with an elaborate and expensive looking chest. For a naïve few moments, Rhaena had believed that Cersei sought to make amends to her, to ask forgiveness for how she had dismissed her and wished to go back to how they had been.
All such hopes died when she had lifted the lid and found the severed head of her wetnurse resting upon a cushion of velvet. The scream Rhaena had given had caused Cersei to laugh, and laughed further when Rhaena had tripped on the hem of her own dress in her haste to retreat back from the severed head of the woman who had nursed her from infancy. From that moment on, Rhaena had nursed a deep, unwavering hatred for Cersei, perhaps even more so than what she bore towards Robert, for at least Robert had a reason for his loathing and mistreatment of her. Cersei only did so for her own pleasure and entertainment, and had tricked Rhaena into believing that she had been loved before betraying her. A torturous shudder rippled through Rhaena before she forced herself to tear her mind away from the past and focus upon the present. This was only happening because she knew that soon she would be making her way back to King's Landing and her days of leisure and happiness were soon to end. Her mind was playing tricks upon her, that was all. So once she had cleaned herself from the cold sweat she redressed herself in order to take a walk and clear her head. It was early in the morning, far too early for anyone else to be awake, and so Rhaena hoped that she might move undetected in order to seek out fresh air in private. Wrapped in a thick winter cloak, she moved silently through the hallways of Winterfell, encased in her own thoughts until she noticed something flit across her vision, a wisp of a cloak before a tail then also vanished with it. Intrigued, Rhaena followed and caught sight of a small figure with a wolf pup at their heels. With the dimness of the early morning, Rhaena was unable to determine who exactly it might have been, but her best guess was either Bran or Arya. She followed.
They did not seem to realise that they were being pursued as they slipped out of the castle and into the grounds, but once they were outside and the dawn's light lit their figures, Rhaena finally determined that it was Bran and his yet unamend wolf pup. Curious to see what a young boy would be doing awake at this hour, she followed him to where he stood before one of the walls beside the armoury. Before Rhaena could call to him, Bran began to climb. He had said something to his wolf so that the pup lay down and watched him wistfully, ears pricked forwards as Bran scampered up the wall so quickly that Rhaena's mouth dropped open in astonishment. Bran was not a boy. He was a squirrel. Only a squirrel could move so quickly. Fascinated with what she was witnessing, Rhaena drew herself forwards until she was standing directly beside Bran's wolf pup, both of them watching the boy scurry upwards before he threw one leg over the wall in order to sit there for a moment and look down. He had taken off his shoes, Rhaena noted to herself with amusement. Upon seeing her, however, Bran's jaw dropped and his eyes widened fearfully. "Please don't tell my mother!" He blurted and after processing his words, Rhaena finally laughed. Bran blushed furiously and managed to clamp his mouth shut as Rhaena wiped at her eyes which had watered from her laughter.
"No, I shall not tell on you, little bird. I can see you were not boasting when you told me you could climb well." Looking to the wall, Rhaena wondered how Bran knew which stones to grasp and which to avoid, pondering lightly as she set her hand upon the wall and deliberated whether or not she should try to climb also.
"Good, then you should come up too! I'll help you, it's easy once you know how." Encouraged by his enthusiasm, Rhaena girded her resolve and began to attempt to climb up the wall to follow Bran after ruffling at his pup's head, praising him for being such a well behaved little wolf. With Bran directing her in where to climb, Rhaena soon found herself perched on the wall with him but then Bran was off running, and Rhaena had to precariously follow after him, not as accustomed to balancing upon walls as he. She was slower, but the further she moved the more confident she became, increasing her pace until she was a little closer behind Bran who showed her how to climb into the rafters of the armoury where an owl had made its nest and both gazed at it in wonder before moving onwards. With a companion at his side, Bran seemed further emboldened and pleased with his climbing ability, taking Rhaena to show her the wondrous sight of Winterfell from a view that no other could afford her, telling her how walking from one side to the other could bring her from one floor to ground level and such, because Winterfell was built upon many slopes and valleys of uneven ground. Rhaena listened with fascination until finally, Bran sat himself down upon one of the hall's rooftops where the slate tiles were laid. A little out of breath from her climbing, Rhaena sat herself beside him and rubbed at her raw fingers where she had taken some scratches at the tenderer flesh. She had no idea how she was to get down again without Bran's help. "I love the view from up here. It feels as if other than the birds, only I see Winterfell like this. You as well, of course, now that you're here with me. I've never brought anyone else up here. Arya tried once, though she couldn't make the climb and fell. She scraped her knees, I remember. She blamed me for it, but I can't help it if she's a hopeless climber." Bran babbled sweetly as Rhaena listened whilst pulling at her cloak so that she could spread it across them, covering Bran's toes to keep them free of a chill.
"It is beautiful up here. I can see why you love to climb." She said to him quietly, not wishing for her voice to carry and betray them to anyone who might be searching for them. "Wait until you see the Red Keep, there will be many places you will wish to climb there, but I pray you will not unless you tell me so first. Some places are not safe, but I know of one or two walls and towers you can climb with relative ease until you are better accustomed to the place. The Hand's Tower where you are to stay with your father is one of them. Just promise you will be careful." Nodding his head eagerly, Bran thought that he should like having somewhere new to explore, and liked it all the more if Rhaena would agree to go climbing with him. She had done well to manage to keep up with him even with her skirts, and it satisfied Bran to know that he now had something with Rhaena that his siblings would never have themselves. They often discussed Rhaena, though perhaps argue was a better way to describe it. All of them were confident that Rhaena liked them best, particularly Sansa who boasted that she was closest to Rhaena's age and therefore they understood one another better, but Bran and Arya pointed out that she spent a great deal of time playing games with them and told them stories. Rickon simply proclaimed that Rhaena belonged to him and would start to shout and cry if they disagreed.
At least now, Bran could boast to his brothers and sisters that he had climbed Winterfell with Rhaena, and he could not wait to see their expressions, feeling a little smug with himself. He glanced to her secretly, attempting to read her expression. She was quiet and seemingly deep in thought, smiling lightly as she gazed at Winterfell as the dull grey walls came alive as they were bathed in the increasing brightness of dawn as people began to rouse themselves from their sleep and prepare for the day. Suddenly she spoke and turned her head in order to look at Bran who blushingly hurried to look away before he could be caught. "Why are you awake so early in the morning, Bran? Were you perhaps having trouble sleeping?" His flushed cheeks deepened as he sheepishly nodded his head. "Would you like to tell me about it?"
"I just couldn't sleep. I think I am simply too excited for it. Father says that I am to ride to King's Landing on my own horse, a new horse, not my old pony. I cannot wait to ride, I have never left Winterfell before, I want to see the Kingsroad and all the castles and inns we'll stay at whilst travelling, and I especially cannot wait to see the Red Keep and King's Landing. Is it true there are dragon skulls underneath the castle in the catacombs?" Chuckling to herself, Rhaena was glad that Bran's restlessness stemmed from eagerness to partake of new adventures rather than nightmares. She allowed herself to relax.
"Yes, the dragon skulls are kept underneath the castle. If you like I can show them to you when we arrive. Very few know the castle's secrets better than I. We shall have a wonderful time exploring, and I expect Arya shall enjoy it too. Sansa might not, but there will be plenty of other things to entertain ourselves with together. I expect your father shall be very busy for the first week or so as he settles into his duties, so we shall have to find ways to keep you all out of trouble." Smiling as she tapped at Bran's nose, the boy grinned at her brightly. Although he did not like the idea of his sisters coming with them in their adventures, Bran begrudgingly accepted he could not keep Rhaena to himself all the time. She seemed to know exactly how to spread herself between the siblings both individually and together so that no one felt left out, and she was especially good with Rickon, who would throw tantrums over the littlest things and other than mother, only Rhaena seemed able to calm him down and reason with him to behave himself. It were as if her words spun a magic spell over his little brother, who would grow bashful and shy before her and agree to stop crying so long as she gave him a cuddle and a kiss. She could even persuade him to eat his food neatly without throwing it everywhere as he often had a habit of doing if it was not to his liking. Everything about Rhaena seemed…mysterious, and Bran had always been fascinated by strange things. A thought occurred to him then.
"Why are you awake at this hour, Rhae? Could you not sleep either?" Shaking her head, Rhaena attempted to brush away the question simply, telling Bran that she was merely restless and had decided to come for a breath of fresh air before spotting him, but Bran was far too quick to be so easily mislead. "Did you have a nightmare? Rickon gets them sometimes, I hear him thrashing and crying in his sleep sometimes. Is that why you could not sleep?" A sadness seemed to sweep over Rhaena, taking away a little of the internal light she carried and Bran immediately regretted his words, chewing upon his lip as Rhaena sighed heavily.
"You are quick as you are clever, little bird. Yes I had a nightmare, but it is nothing to worry over. I am happy to be here with you, and since you have shown me this beautiful and wondrous sight, I feel far better than before. Thank you for this gift, I shall treasure it always." Wrapping her arm around his shoulders, Rhaena pressed a sisterly kiss against his hair and Bran straightened himself with pride. Albeit unwittingly, he had made Rhaena feel better after her nightmare, and this brought him a strong sense of mature pride. He wanted to grow up quickly, in that very moment even, to become a strong and talented knight who jousted in lists and won every battle he fought just so that he could turn to Rhaena and tell her of his achievements. Bran fantasised that she would smile upon him with pride and bestow upon him her favour which he vowed he would carry everyday without fail. Perhaps he could become her knight. After all, although Ser Barristan was a great and noble knight, he was growing old and would perhaps soon die. Bran could take his place as Rhaena's guardian then so that they would never be apart. Bran liked the idea of this, and so as he allowed himself to huddle close against Rhaena who seemed strangely warm even despite the chilly morning air, closed his eyes in order to dream of himself being tall and broad shouldered, carrying a noble sword like that of his father and standing as Rhaena's one and only champion.